


Pink Flowers Grow From My Skin

by whosthatpokaimon



Category: Gotham (TV)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Hanahaki Disease, Heavy Angst, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Not Actually Unrequited Love, Season 3, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-22
Updated: 2021-01-15
Packaged: 2021-03-07 21:08:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,769
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26594224
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/whosthatpokaimon/pseuds/whosthatpokaimon
Summary: Edward Nygma would never love Oswald back, and he would die knowing that.Ft. lyrics from Bubble Gum - Clairo
Relationships: Oswald Cobblepot/Edward Nygma
Comments: 7
Kudos: 103





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> PLEASE READ THE TAGS, THIS WILL HURT AND WILL NOT COMFORT
> 
> i wrote this because i accidentally started an angst war with Miss_Vile in the discord server. [ here's her fic. ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26605387)

_‘Cause I swallowed the bubble gum._

_Oh, and these seven years will be pretty dumb._

_Pink flowers grow from my skin._

_Pepto Bismol veins and I grin._

* * *

Oswald didn’t know what he was expecting when Ed brought him to the pier on that gloomy day, a gun pointed towards him and pushing him closer and closer towards the edge. The river was only a few steps behind him now, but he had a feeling falling in was going to be the least of his worries.

Right now, his biggest problem was Edward Nygma. A man he trusted and grew to even love. When Ed first rescued him from the forest, Oswald had been broken down to nothing because he let his base emotions control him. How naive he was to repeat the same mistakes.

The coughing didn’t start until he started to run for mayor. He thought it was just a cold, so he stayed home for a few days until he could at least get the coughing under control. The first petal showed itself the night after his election party.

_I would do anything for you. You can always count on me._

Oh, how times have changed. Who knew this man would be the death of The Penguin?

“Ed… I love you… I know you believe that now.”

He remembered why he was here in the first place. When he found out what this condition was, he knew he had to have Ed. He couldn’t let Isabelle - _Isabella -_ get in the way. It was either him or her. If he couldn’t get Ed back, the flora would consume him. If Isabella was gone, Oswald would live to love another day. Seemed like it would have ended poorly for Oswald either way.

“Kind of hard not to when you killed the woman I loved to save your own neck,” he scowled.

Oswald thought Ed would at least show concern for him. Ed had been his best friend and he had shown to hold Oswald in the same regards. Ed found out shortly after Isabella’s death that Oswald was lovesick for him. The death of a woman that meant nothing. A woman that stood in the way of fate. Ed always liked to say that everything that happened between them was fate. Oswald saw this as no different.

Maybe Ed was only talking about friendship. That they were only destined to be the closest of friends in Gotham. With all that Ed has said and done, Oswald easily assumed that he felt the same way Oswald did. Once again, he solved one of Ed’s puzzles incorrectly.

“You have to understand…”

He remembered Ed telling him stories of how he killed Kristen’s boyfriend in order to be with her, who he ended up murdering anyways. Wasn’t that exactly what was happening here? Except, instead of trying to run away and getting murdered, Ed fought back. Oswald could never hurt Ed like that.

Ed seemed to catch on to what Oswald was referring to because he froze. His response was cold, “That was different. Dougherty was abusive. Isabella was nothing but loving and understanding to me. You just let yourself grow vulnerable again.”

Oswald didn’t even know how to respond to that. He just stood there staring at Ed, a series of coughs breaking the silence. He could taste the copper of the blood and feel the texture of the petals on his tongue. He continued to try and hold it back. It wasn’t long now, he could feel it. The Hanahaki flared up something terrible when Ed found out it was he who killed Isabella. Once he got it under control, he turned back to Ed, who hadn’t even bat an eye.

“You could have gone to Strange and gotten him to remove the seeds, let me live a happy life with Isabella, but you never learn from your past mistakes, do you?” Ed spoke again. Oswald didn’t know if he had the ability to respond this time. The coughing tore through his vocal cords.

“This won’t be justice served. This will be the cold-blooded murder of someone you love,” Oswald croaked out between even more coughs, a drop of blood that he failed to contain dripping down his chin.

Ed inhaled sharply, brows furrowing, “I _don’t_ love you.”

Just hearing him say that may have hurt more than the roots digging into his lungs did. Oswald knew Ed was telling the truth, there was no hidden emotion behind the words or in his eyes. It was all just disgust and rage.

Everyone always told him to be careful with who he loved because one day, it could kill him, but he didn’t listen. He always assumed they were just childish stories that strict parents told their kids in order to keep them around. Now, he knew for sure it was true, but it was already too late.

Oswald fell to the ground as another coughing fit overcame him, holding himself up by his hands on the concrete. Blood splattered on the ground and a handful of white and yellow petals followed soon after. Ed watched, unfazed, as Oswald continued to cough his lungs out, literally.

“Love was always your greatest weakness.”

Ed’s words were muffled now. Oswald’s ears were ringing from the lack of oxygen and he fully collapsed onto his back. Ed didn’t even look upset, he just looked… angry, even glad that Oswald was dying. The thorns dug into his throat as they burrowed through his chest and grew out of his mouth, large lilies and daffodils sprouting on the ends of them. His vision faded and tears filled his eyes as he was forced to accept that this was the end. Ed left the dying man with one final statement, venom lacing the words and piercing Oswald like another thorn in the stems of deadly love.

“Goodbye, Oswald.”

All that mattered now was that Oswald died with the voice of the man he loved echoing in his mind.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oswald Cobblepot’s death filled Edward with deep regret, and he would die knowing that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> bet y'all weren't expecting another chapter of THIS *gestures vaguely*
> 
> i can't handle bad endings so i wrote more. there's gonna be one more chapter after this one!

_ You look so nice in your shirt, _

_ But I know that it just hurts. _

_ I would do anything for you, _

_ But would you do that for me too? _

* * *

Edward didn’t even know what happened or what caused this sudden emotion, but he found himself unable to leave the manor for weeks. He wanted Oswald back. He didn’t know how much this would hurt until Oswald was truly gone. It even started to physically hurt.

It was chilly in the mansion. The cold air passed through his lungs just the wrong way and he fell into his third coughing fit of the day. He brought his hand to his mouth out of instinct, despite there not being anybody around anymore. When he pulled back, there was a small drop of blood. He sighed, having been coughing up blood for a few days now, but not finding the motivation to do anything to fix it.

Ed stood from the couch to fetch a paper towel from the kitchen, wiping his lower lip clear of the blood before more coughing undid the cleaning he just did. He wiped again and coughed again. Grumbling, he gave up and threw the paper towel away without a second glance.

He knew he should call a doctor. He knew this could potentially be lung damage. But, deep down, he felt like he deserved it. His best-friend-turned-enemy was dead because of him, and now…

_ “You also feel this way because of him,”  _ Edward’s inner voice spoke.

“What?” Ed turned to the mirror placed in the living room to see his other with a large grin like he knew something Ed didn’t.

_ “The coughing, the dread, the blood, it all traces back to Oswald.” _

Ed glared. That was impossible. Oswald was dead. “... Th-that’s not- that’s not right…”

_ “Well, what else could it be? You’re coughing up petals, too.” _

“No, I’m not!” Ed protested, coughing again when he felt something tickle at the top of his throat. He managed to dislodge the object, but it was a flower petal, purple in color. Ed stared at it for a moment.

_ “Yes, you are. You knew all along what it was. You just didn’t want to acknowledge it. You didn’t want to believe it.” _ He remarked with a snide tone.

“It… It could be for Isabella. Since she's dead, she can’t requite my love, so that-”

_ “The flowers are purple. Purple symbolizes royalty. Who’s the one person we both know that centers their entire being around the color purple and calls themselves royalty?” _

Ed blinked. Maybe it  _ was _ Oswald. He shook the thought out of his head before he could consider it any further, “Isabella liked purple. She may not have been royalty, but she was the queen of my heart.”

‘Ed’ scoffed,  _ “Oh, come on, you can’t be that cheesy.” _

“What other explanation could there be?! I felt  _ nothing _ for Oswald!” He snapped at his other half, and it was the truth. He didn’t feel anything. Not  _ romantically, _ that is.

_ “Think for a second and listen to me! I’m a part of you too, and, believe it or not, I’m starting to think I’m even smarter than you,”  _ ‘Ed’ hissed back, taking a deep breath in,  _ “Listen. I know you better than you know yourself, I’m a part of your subconscious whether you like it or not, and I say you’re in love. You always have been in love.” _

“Not with Oswald-”

_ “Are you even listening to yourself?! What other bullshit can you think of? You’re so deep in denial, it’s not even funny!” _ He made a movement as if he were to reach out of the mirror and shake Ed by the shoulders.

“Okay,  _ fine,  _ say I  _ do _ feel something. What do I do about it now? Oswald is fucking dead!” Ed slammed his fist against the wall next to the mirror. He coughed again, watching as the petals fell all-too gracefully to the floor.

_ “We don’t have much time, now. Our choices are to find a doctor within approximately ten minutes, or… succumb.” _ ‘Ed’ spoke, toeing the line between lackadaisical and almost scared. It didn’t surprise Ed. If he died, ‘Ed’ would, too.

Ed quickly made for the front door. If he was going to die, he’d rather die by his own hands, not by some dumb fucking flowers in his lungs. He navigated his way to the car in their driveway. He couldn’t remember if it was their own or not, but he had the keys to it. He threw himself into it and started driving. He didn’t know where he was going or if he even had a destination until, subconsciously, he brought himself to the very place Oswald Cobblepot suffocated and bled out in front of him.

He had thrown (or, rather kicked) Oswald’s body into the river after Ed knew he was dead. The scene replayed in his head and he remembered how hesitant he felt to shoot him. He remembered wondering, in the back of his mind, what it would be like to lick away that blood leaking from his mouth. To pluck the flowers free and clear a path on Oswald’s mouth for his own. He remembered all the other times he’s had the urge to kiss Oswald as well. In his apartment, at Arkham, even as recently as while he and Isabella were dating.

He felt the water surround him before he even knew that he jumped.

He found Oswald laying at the bottom of the river, flowers wilting on his chest. It would have been a bullet wound if Ed could have brought himself to pull the trigger. He pulled Oswald back up onto the pier, pale skin even paler and muscles stiff. Rigor mortis must have set in. Now that he was considering it, Oswald really was beautiful. Even with empty eyes and dead flowers bursting out of him. He almost completely forgot he was dying of a similar condition.

_ “You never had it before because he loved you back. You always knew that he loved you back. You just didn’t want to admit to your own feelings. It was selfish of him to kill Isabella for his own good, but was it really just for his own?” _

He remembered knowing. Yes, he remembered knowing, of course he remembered knowing. It was too obvious. Ed just didn’t want to admit it.

_ “And look where that led you. He’s dead and you’re dying because of that.” _

He didn’t have any words to say anymore, let alone the fact that he couldn’t say anything at all. His chest was spasming with coughs from the intruding flowers. He couldn’t breathe. He couldn’t tear his eyes away from the corpse in his arms. It could have been Oswald, alive and well, smiling up at him without those godforsaken flowers springing out of his mouth. He gently brushed a stray hair from his face, cold as ice under his fingers.

_ “Weren’t you going to kill yourself? You were so stubborn about love being your downfall once again, but now you’re just accepting it?” _

Ed got so caught up in realizing that he had indeed fallen for Oswald that he forgot about that. It didn’t matter anyway. As long as he had Oswald there with him, or, what was left of him, maybe dying this way wasn’t so bad. At least he knew Oswald would be there, waiting for him in the afterlife.

His blood and tears mixed with the saltwater on his face as he held Oswald closer, feeling all light around him fade. As the flowers enveloped him from the inside out, he gave Oswald a small kiss on the cheek and Ed could have sworn he felt Oswald’s heart beat.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Edward knew this was the end. The flowers filled his lungs, depriving him of oxygen. He knew he was dead...
> 
> Until he opened his eyes.

_ Sorry I didn’t kiss you, _

_ But it’s obvious I wanted to. _

_ Bubble gum down my throat and it’s a curse, _

_ But my luck couldn’t get any worse. _

* * *

Heartbeat. He felt Oswald’s heartbeat.

Death felt like a release of tension. Finally, no more questions, no more stress, no more interruptions. Just him, the darkness, and the faint pounding of Oswald’s heart that may or may not even be real.

His first sense was his hearing. He could hear, somewhere in the distance, shuffling. Rain, maybe. Then blinding white lights pulled him from his mind. His eyelids felt heavy as he opened his eyes, the oxygen-rich air harshly stinging them. He immediately squinted, bringing a hand to shield his face from the intruding lights.

When he adjusted to the environment, he sat up suddenly, bringing his hands to his face and his torso. He was alive. He looked down to see that he was still wearing his green suit, but the top few buttons had been undone to show a large scar in the center of his chest. He inhaled deeply and exhaled. He really was alive.

There was suddenly a figure in front of him, a redhead with a big smile.

“Hey! You’re awake!”

The woman’s spontaneous introduction, where Ed thought he was alone, startled him and he jumped with a yell. She immediately changed her demeanor, expression falling as she backed away.

“Oh, gosh, I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to scare you!”

“I thought I was alone in this room and you showed up right in front of my face, what did you think was gonna happen?!” He glared at her, annoyed. She didn’t respond at first, only ducking her head and turning away like a pouting child. Ed sighed, “Do you know what’s going on? Where I am, and why I’m here?”

“I found you and the other guy laying on the pier with plants growing out of you. I liked plants, so I took you guys back and found out it was Hanahaki. My first thought was to let your poor souls rest, but I read more about Hanahaki and it was too tragic. I had to do something!” She ranted as she paced back and forth, Ed watching her with confusion until what she was saying fully processed in his lagging mind.

“Wait, did you-” he was cut off when she continued.

“Now, I heard that Hanahaki is related to true love where the feelings you have for someone else must be requited or you suffocate-”

“HEY!”

The woman snapped her jaw shut, “Sorry.”

“I know what happened. I died, that’s what happened, but so did Oswald. You said you found _ both  _ of us. Oswald is here, too?” Ed cleared his throat, picking up on how raspy it sounded.

She looked away, rubbing at her arm, “Well, he is, but he… hasn’t woken up yet. I was surprised to find that you even opened your eyes. I wasn’t sure if it was going to work or not, but, it looks like it did… for you, at least.”

Ed felt whatever was left of his heart drop. What was the point of even coming back if Oswald couldn’t be brought back as well?

“He’s not…  _ gone _ gone, is he…?” The words hurt to choke out.

“I don’t know for sure. It’s been a week and I was starting to give up before I noticed you had moved.”

Ed sighed, “Oswald loved me. He died first. It only makes sense if it were too late for him to come back.”

“But it might not be too late! We just need to give it a bit more time…”

“How am I alive, anyway?” Ed decided to switch the topic, looking down at his palms and noticing how pale, yet full of life they were. He flipped them over and pinpointed the coloration in his veins.

“Well… some bootleg amateur surgery and a little bit of plant magic,” She smiled. Ed looked back at her with a confused look.

“... Plant magic?”

“You’re more worried about the plant magic than the fact I cut you both open and pulled out whatever weeds I could?”

Ed took a deep breath, sighing heavily, “I’m just happy to be alive. What’s your name, anyway? You never did introduce yourself.”

“Ivy.”

“... Your name is Ivy, you’re obsessed with plants-” he gestured at the full greenhouse, “-and you brought me back to life, cured my  _ disease _ with… plant magic?!”

“I didn’t really  _ cure _ it, per se, I just froze the symptoms. You technically still have it, you just won’t have to deal with the flowers anymore. Basically meaning you still have whatever feelings you had before.”

Ed perked up, “And… Oswald?”

“He’ll be the same way. And, since you two actually reciprocate each other now, the disease should be gone entirely when he-”

She was cut off when the glass doors halving the greenhouse slammed open.

Ed’s heart stopped all over again. It was  _ Oswald. _ He looked incredibly grouchy, as usual, as he limped closer, but definitely alive. He stopped in his tracks when his eyes laid on Ed, face dropping the angry expression in favor of a slightly surprised one.

“Oswald!” Ed practically cried, moving to stand from the bed before Oswald’s returning shout made him freeze.

“What?!”

Oswald sounded more angry than anything, voice seething with rage at the mere sight of Ed, “You were the one that let me die, Edward! Why are you here? Did you know I was alive? Wanted to finish the job?  _ Huh?!” _

To say Ed was taken aback by Oswald’s anger was an understatement. He stuttered out his reply, “N-No, I-”

“Then  _ why are you here?” _ Oswald growled. Ed glanced at Ivy and she took a deep breath.

“I found you two on a pier, both basically dead from the Hanahaki disease. I brought you back and removed the flowers, but not the seeds. The seeds were where your feelings were coming from, so only the flowers had to be removed and that required a bit of… inward digging,” She gestured towards the scars on both Oswald and Ed’s chests, “So, basically, you two still have feelings for each other, but-”

“Ed never had any feelings for me,” Oswald snapped.

“He had to have feelings for you if he died of Hanahaki curled up into your body…” Ivy frowned, “He said you died first and he didn’t realize-”

Oswald laughed.  _ Hard,  _ “You’ve gotta be fucking kidding me. What do you get out of this for making this up?”

“She’s not making it up, Oswald,” Ed muttered, looking away to hide his watering eyes, “I didn’t know I loved you until you were already gone.”

Oswald stayed silent for a moment and Ed was about to look up when he could see Oswald shaking his head in his peripherals, “You’re toying with me, Ed. You never loved me. You just couldn’t admit that you were completely lost without me, so you needed another excuse.”

Ed only stayed silent and let the information sink in. Oswald was in  _ denial _ of someone else’s feelings. Knowing he did this to Oswald only made him break like an old dam. He fell to his knees on the ground and slouched, now sobbing uncontrollably, “I’m so sorry, I know what I did was unforgivable, but just know that I deeply regret doing the things I did because I was blind to the truth. Blind to the fact that I love you.”

Oswald didn’t respond. Neither did Ivy. Ed didn’t look up, only continued.

“I was afraid to admit that I loved you and I realized what a mistake that was to make,” he finally looked up and he could see, through bleary eyes, realization in Oswald’s eyes. His expression dropped the anger in favor of shock.

“... You’re not lying, are you?” Oswald merely whispered.

“Everything I said was true. I love you and I regret not realizing that sooner.”

Oswald slowly walked over, limp as prominent as ever. Ed only fell into Oswald’s legs once he got close enough, arms wrapping around them as he cried into his worn slacks. Oswald reached down to grab Ed’s arms and pull him up to a standing position, eyes searching for uncertainty.

“You’re sure, Ed?” Oswald muttered, and when he got an overenthusiastic nod in response, pulled his face back down to kiss him. Oswald’s surprisingly soft lips brushed against his own gently in a way that made his heart flutter. His hands came up to card through Oswald’s hair and pull him closer by the back of his head.

He didn’t want it to end. The one thing he was longing for so long and he finally received it. He ignored the ‘aw’s from Ivy behind them in favor of focusing on the feeling. For a man that just returned from the dead, he’s never felt more alive.

**Author's Note:**

> im sorry


End file.
